Roofing starter



.Fune 17, 1930. c, BATCHELLER 1,765,197-

ROOFING STARTER Filed Jan. 24, 1929 I Tia-E- INVENTOR v CLEMENTS BATCHELLER Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEMENTS BATOHELLER, F PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAM PSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO BEMIS INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ROOFING STARTER This invention relates to roofing and in particular to fa way of making what is known as a starter for use in the marginal course of a shingled roof. V

The primary object of the invention is to economize in time and in material in the manufacture of roofing starters and to make it easier to ship them and to prepare them, on the job, for the roofing operations.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described hereinafter and reference is made, in the course of the description, to the diagrams in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan View of a hexagonal shingle.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of a starter corresponding to the shingle shown 20 in Figure 1. e

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a type of honeycomb shingle corresponding to the starter of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of a shingled roof near the eaves showing the relation of the starter course to the main shingle courses.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic plan View of a shingle blank showing one way in which starter sections are formed.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of a honeycomb shingle showing the way in which a starter is formed therefrom.

F igure 7 is a diagrammatic plan view of a starter blank showing how the starter sections are formed from it according to the present invention.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic sectional view through a blank, such as that shown in Figure 7, at right angles to the diagonal groove. In covering roofs with rigid shingles of the hexagonal or the honeycomb type it. is the common practice to use what is termed a starter. This is a section resembling a part of the shingle with which it is used. The starters are placed side by side along the eaves to form a course which presents one edge parallel to the eaves and which, at its other edge, is like a shinglecourse. 50 The succeeding course which is of shingles therefore can be laid on the upper parts of the starters in the same manner as if they were shingles.

When the shingles are of the types shown in Fi ures 1 and 3 having truncated corners orming fiat sides 10 which abut with like sides on the adjacent shingles of a course, it is not possible to form corresponding starters by dividing a shingle on a central line. Thestarters 11 as shown in Figures 2 and 4 have flat abutting sides 12 similar to the sides 10 on the shingles. The shape of a starter for use with shingles of the types shown in Figures 1 and 3 is shown in Figure 2 and the relation of the starters to the shingle courses may be observed in Figure 4. It is evident that there must be a correlation between the size of the starter and that of the shingle, in that the width of the butt portion 13 of a starter must be equal to the width of the rectangular midportion 14 of a shingle.

Starters commonly have been made in two ways, either b cutting a shingle blank into two'starters o unequal size or by cutting off the lower part of a shingle. As indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 5, a shingle blank from which a shingle such as that of Figure 1 may be formed by removing the corners beyond the dotted lines 15, may be out along the lines 15, 16 and 17 to give two starters of different sizes which we may term A and B. The size A starter may be used with shingles cut from the same size blank since both the A starter and the shingle then have the same width of butt as indicated respectively by the dimension X in Figure 5. The starter B can be used only with shingles cut from a smaller blank. The difiiculty arises from the fact that while different sizes of shingles are used they are not used to the same extent. If more large shingles are used than small ones, a number of B starters would be produced beyond the demand for them since everytime an A starter is made, a B starter can not be avoided.

The above assumes that the starters are made at the factory and there is therefore inherent in the method the need of shipping them to the job. The problem of packing the starters is more difiicult than of. packing shingles, the latter being substantially square, and the result is a loss due to breakage in transit.

It is a common practice, as a preferable alternative to the above described method, to make the starters at the job. The builder has a portable shear and he forms what starters he needs by" cutting the lower end ofl a number of shingles, that is, by cutting along the line 18 in Figure 6. I

The present invention has as its underlying thought the formation of two starters of equal size from an oversize blank 20 (vide Fig. 7), which is larger than the blank from which the corresponding shingle is cut. As shown in Figure 7 theblank 20 is of such size that if it is divided along a which has the same width ex ensive tools at the are s 'pped. At the job it is 'a diagonal 21 and then truncated by cutting along the lines 22 crossing the same diagonal, two equal size starters are formed each having a,butt of width X. Such starters correspond to and .are to be used with shingles cut from a blank such as that shown in Figure 5 which is smaller than the blank 20 and gives a shingle of width X.' To form a B starter, a blank smaller than blank 20 would be used but neverthel'ess larger than the blank from which are cut the shingles corresponding to the B starters. So with other sizes.

By an oversize blank, I therefore mean one whose size is greater than that of the" blank used for a corresponding shingle, and by a corresponding shingle I mean one X as the starter so that the corresponding starter and shingle may be used on the same roof.

It is possible to form, the starters from the oversize blanks at the factory but to facilitate the packing of them and to make possible a more rugged packing with consequent less breakage .in transit, I provide a way of retaining the substantially square shape for shipment without making it necessary to do any cutting tqperation requiring o 1 e material which I prefer for such rigid roofing sections as are concerned here,

" U machines'that are used for truncating the shin 1e blanks and the blanks thus grooved matter of no difliculty to break the blank into two starts ers because of the definitel located weakened portion along the} line 0 desired. fracture.

" If desiredthe truncation mayfbe done at the ]0b as the relative order of doingthese operations is; not material, the only l mit! the rigid blanks.

sheet which is formed from weakened portion.

tion being, of course, that where'the groovmg dividing of the blank into starters. Y

The preferred way of formin the V- groove is to do so in the course 0 pressing the still plastic sheets which are to become is done by placing'the sheets on steel plates which are piled up in .a press. I provide a separate thin piece of metal onone side of each plate. .Thispiece ofmetal is flat except for a V-boss extending diagonally,

across' one face. As the sheets and press plates are piled up and compressed, each plate havin a thin V-bossed piece associated with 1t, a diagonal groove is formed in each sheet resulting in a starter blank with a tion. This method of making starters eliminates much of the waste material thought to be unavoidable with the methods in use. It also brings about an economy of time, re duces the loss in shipment and simplifies the work of the builder. k

I wish to include within the scope of protection given me all such variations from the method described as come within the .fair meaning of'the following claims.

I claim- 1. The method of making roofing starters of the starters will be correspondin shi les. e

3; The met od 0 making roofing starters for use with corresponding honeycomb orhexagonal shingles which comprises truncating two corners of a substantially square oversize blank, weakening said blank along the diagonal connecting said corners an subsequently dividing. the blank at the roofing starters 4. The method of making for use with corresponding honeycomb 'or hexagonal shingles which comprises weakening a substantially uare oversize blank along 'one diagonal, s libsequently dlviding the blank at the weakened portion and, at" ,some point in the sequence-of operations,-

The pressing commonly.

properly located easily frangible-por having abutting sidesv at such- 'a distance in from the corners that the width equal to that of. the

step is included, it must precede the truncating the corners of said blank to give, k

a starter width 'equalto that of the corner sponding' shingles.

, 5. The methodof starters for use with corresponding honeycomb or hexagonal shingles, the starters bein made of a cement-fibre composition pressec while a plastic mass, which comprises forming a groove along one diagonal of a substantially square oversize blank while the blank still is plastic, to form an easily frangible portion, truncating the corners of the blank at the ends of said diagonal at such distances in from the corners that the width of the starter will be equal to that of the corresponding shingles, and subsequently dividing the blank at the said groove.

6. The method of making roofing starters for use with corresponding honeycomb or hexagonal shingles, the starters being made of a cement-fibre composition pressed while a plastic mass, which comprises forming, in the course of the pressin operation, a groove along one diagonal oi a substantially square oversize blank while the blank still is plastic, to form an easily frangible portion, truncating the corners of the blank at the ends of said diagonal at such distances in from the corners that the width between the truncations is equal to the width of the corresponding shingle, and subsequently dividing the blank at the said groove.

7 In the manufacture of roofing starters for use with corresponding hexagonal or honeycomb shingles, the step of forming a weakened portion along one diagonal of an oversize blank.

8. An oversize roofing blank having a weakened portion along one diagonal.

9. An oversize blank having a weakened portion along one diagonal and truncated corners at the ends of said diagonal giving a width equal to that of a corresponding shingle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CLEMENTS BATCHELLER. 

